The Last Flight
by CleverAsEver
Summary: As leaders, they understand what they have to do. As brothers, it tears their very souls apart.


**DISCLAIMER:** _Originally w_ _ritten before HTTYD3's release._

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He loves it.

Every moment they share in the high blue skies. Twisting and turning, leaping and spinning, a dizzying routine of unadulterated joy as the two partners dance across the heavens.

The two are one. They dive through the clouds, the wind rushing across them. Sharing the mutual, unspoken language of a bond forged through fire and blood, bumps and scrapes, sweat and tears, they soar across the sky.

Toothless looks up at him, giving his trademark grin. Hiccup glances down, nodding gently, eyes alight as he banks the two into another steep turn.

They are brothers, their fellowship one between souls. They understand each other, their every move in perfect harmony. A result of a bond truly inseparable. The first bond between human and dragon.

Hiccup slams the tail into a steep climb, the two climbing higher and higher and higher -

And they reach the peak.

Toothless relaxes, and the two plummet back towards the great Earth and the seas below. Falling and falling and falling - and just before they hit the water, with a twitch of his foot, Hiccup brings Toothless out of the dive, the two climbing back into the heavens.

Climbing and climbing, higher and higher. Back into the clouds. And out - into the sun.

They level off, tracing lazy circles across the sky, the shouting wind howling against them as the two glide high in the sunlit silence. Reveling in the sheer joy of it all, the shared exhilaration of flight.

It is truly magical, after all.

Hiccup looks up, taking in the blue sky above, the white clouds below. The great everlasting beauty of the heavens. A tear falls from his eye.

For he knows this flight will be their last.

They both understand. That there had been too many attacks, too many losses on both sides. That if dragonkind and humankind remain together, they will be targets of others' hatred, ignorance, and fear, of those who only wish to drive them apart. That their species cannot remain together, for both their safeties. That they have to go their separate ways if either is to survive.

As leaders of their respective species, as chief and alpha, they understand what they have to do. For the good of those under their charge, for the good of both their species.

As brothers, it tears their very souls apart.

He unhooks his flying mask, wordlessly leaning forward and pressing his face into Toothless's warm hide, his fingers running over the Night Fury's smooth, jet black scales. His tears soaking into them.

Toothless senses this, a quiet purr emanating from beneath the great dragon's hide as he leans into Hiccup's touch, the two enjoying their last moments together. Not as leaders, not as allies - as brothers.

They fly like this for another few minutes. Or maybe it was an hour, or perhaps several - they don't care. All they can feel is their mutual bond, their everlasting kinship of respect, friendship, and brotherly love. And all they know is that it is about to end.

End. Become no more. The bond between them, lost to the winds of change and the whispers of time. The adventures, the quests, the freedom of exploration, to become but a distant memory. The exhiliration of flight, to become but a lingering sensation at the back of one's mind and deep in one's heart, never to truly be felt again.

The two glide past the isle of Berk. The stables, now empty. The dragon feeding stations, devoid of fish, no longer attended to by hungry dragons. The roads and pathways, no longer to be frequented by dragons bounding up and down, taking off and landing.

The rest of the dragons have left already, their goodbyes already said. All that is left, all that remains of the brief, inexplicable friendship between human and dragon, are the two of them.

The Great Hall, never again to be frequented by dragons seeking warmth. The roofs, no longer home to singing dragons in the mornings. The forest, no longer home to dragons seeking a wild snack.

The cove. Where it all began.

Gently, the two touch down. Slowly, Hiccup gets off the harness, hesitating as he unhooks himself for the final time, his shoulders shaking as he does so. Wordlessly, he reaches behind his back, unfolding the automatic tailfin which he had been carrying on his back. For this moment.

Stepping forward, he quietly unstraps the harness, the wires and tailfin. Toothless stays motionless while he does so, his bowed head, and closed eyes, and mournful purrs the only outward sign of the emotion the Night Fury feels. Gently, Hiccup straps on the automatic tailfin, double and triple checking the secureness each mechanism, the movement of each part. For this is the last time he will be able to.

Stepping back, he examines his handiwork. A jet-black tailfin, armored and shielded just like a real Night Fury tailfin. Automated, to allow Toothless to control its every movement without assistance. Sturdy - built to last for as long as Toothless might live.

Toothless gives the tailfin a few experimental extensions, ensuring that it works. He doesn't have to - Hiccup has tested the tailfin for thousands of hours. Making sure it works just like a natural one, even without a human brain to guide it. He then turns to face Hiccup, pressing his snout gently to his hand.

The same way he had when they had first met.

Hiccup presses his hand forward in spite of his tears, before pressing his head to Toothless's snout, enveloping his arms around the dragon's head in a tight hug. Neither moves; neither will move.

But eventually, they have to. Time does not stop for them. Yet even as the two part ways, even if humankind and dragonkind each die out, annihilated by each other's ignorance, fear, and hate, the two will always be brothers. Their souls will never part.

Hiccup chokes up.

"I'll see you around, bud."

Toothless nods, eyes drooped in sadness. With one last nudge, he slowly turns, leaping and bounding into the air.

Hiccup watches him soar into the heavens. Into the great blue yonder, the great white clouds. Away. Feeling the tears streaming down his cheeks. Smiling, as he remembers. Remembers the times they spent together, the hardships they faced as one. Remembers every moment they shared in the high blue skies.

For he had loved it.

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 **A/N:** I swear, all the inspiration for my fics comes when I'm lying in bed before I go to sleep. Hopefully this is any good, because it's 3am and I just wrote this on a whim. Basically, I came across a few rumors that HTTYD3 would have Hiccup and Toothless split up, along with the poem High Flight by John Magee, and, well, this idea sprung to life.

Please read and review - constructive criticism always welcome!


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